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12 June 2009

Oh, What do you do in the summertime,

Divine, Pearl, and Olive each have a savings jar with matching colored tithing (10% of what they earn goes to the church) bottle (spray paint to coordinate, of course!).

We took a trip to Target and I let them take pictures of the items (and the prices) they'd like to earn moolah to purchase. (Divine and Pearl have already made a purchase or two).

Guidelines:

O Toys must be earned entirely on their own.

O Etch-a-sketch and Magna-doodles they must earn $5 and I pay the rest (car entertainment--no we don't have a DVD player in ours!)

O Art supplies and kits or a bike they must earn 1/2 of the price.

Chores for money:

O Cleaning baseboards

O Cleaning garbage cans

O Chairs

O Windows

O Spots on the kitchen floor

O Organizing books

O Organizing shoes (we leave our shoes in the garage)

Chores for NO money:

O Clearing dishes

O Sweeping

O Wiping table

O Napkins to laundry room

O Bathroom cleaning

O Art room cleaning

I've started to teach Divine how to sew...her projects to come. We did a pinata involving everyone except Clover. It turned out to be a week long process with drying, painting, and more drying time. My sister gave me this, which Divine loves to peruse and find projects to do.

But for the younger kids and the rest of the summer, what do you that is (mostly) free?

We are totally the same way. If the kids want a toy or something (besides when its their bday, holiday, or special occasion) they have to earn their own $$, pay tithing first, and then decide if they really want to spend it on a particular item.

Katy- You don't know me however I went to High School with Ryan (I linked over from Melanie Perschon's Blog). My children are a little older than yours but this is what we do...

One Day Each Week...

Field Trip- Pet store to meet exotic pets, visit a friend who lives far away, free museumPark Day- No beach for us in Utah, but we do pack a picnic lunchBaking Day- Make enough to share with friends or to last the rest of the week (homemade popcycles count!)Library Day- New books and an afternoon of snuggling up in the airconditioning and reading them.Craft Day- Pull out the craft box, or plan something in advance...My kids like to use large rolls of paper to make maps or trace themselves....

Other Ideas...Swimming Day- Sprinklers and kiddie poolGardening Day- Seems like a chore but not if they get to eat something special they picked or catch the bugs (maybe not the girls I read about the "grasshopper".Anyway, if you do the same thing on the same day of the week the children look forward to it and it helps the summer pass with hands on learning and good memories (keep your camera in tow).

mine are a bit younger than yours... Matt has a routine down now that he is SAHD Tues- Walk to einstiens and split bagel bites (you could probably make these)Wed- Home with mom which means learning how to clean and doing art projectsThur- Park day, even if it is rainingFri- walk to grocery store and other errandsSat- visit family

It works really well to have a certain activity for each day. that way you don't have to constantly be thinking "what are we going to do today"

Oh Katy - I sing that song to my girls! We fill in the "blanks" with silly stuff (the part that sings, "Do you..."). Rebecca & Mary-Gail are so preoccupied with the park and bike rides that that's pretty much what we do when we get our chores done (I created a chore list and posted it a few weeks ago). Amazingly, the girls are able to help out: taking their diapers to the garbage; putting their dirty clothes in the hamper & separating colors with me on laundry day. Simple things like that. It's great to involve them and they feel like such big helpers!